


out of date

by orphan_account



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Cousin Incest, F/M, Infidelity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:34:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23164066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: The air inside the grand ballroom was beginning to feel hot and stale – everyone who was anyone in pureblood society was here, and all eyes were on Narcissa. It was something she enjoyed, it was her engagement part, after all, and she hadn’t gone through all of the trouble of getting dolled up to blend in with the furniture. Every hair on her head was perfectly placed, every jewel on her gown had been sewn on with care and accuracy, and her coy smile was painted on without flaw.
Relationships: Lucius Malfoy/Narcissa Black Malfoy (mentioned), Sirius Black/Narcissa Black Malfoy
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16





	out of date

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Houseofmalfoy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Houseofmalfoy/gifts).



> this was written for the song "expired lover" by emily kinney for Hogwarts Online's Songfic OWLs, hprarepairnet's Narcissa event, and for tessa who sent me a prompt on tumblr for Sirius/Narcissa + "You don't get to say anything"

The air inside the grand ballroom was beginning to feel hot and stale – everyone who was anyone in pureblood society was here, and all eyes were on Narcissa. It was something she enjoyed, it was her engagement part, after all, and she hadn’t gone through all of the trouble of getting dolled up to blend in with the furniture. Every hair on her head was perfectly placed, every jewel on her gown had been sewn on with care and accuracy, and her coy smile was painted on without flaw. Her arm was intertwined with her fiancé’s; Lucius was meticulously groomed but he still paled in comparison to Narcissa.

They paused briefly for a moment of peace between greeting all of their guests and Narcissa caught a glimpse of familiar dark hair slipping out of the door towards the patio. She smiled sweetly at Lucius as she excused herself for a moment – she followed the figure out the door, taking a deep breath as the cool, fresh air hit her face.

A man stood at the railing with his back to her. She moved towards him, her heels clicking against the stone patio as she did. The man didn’t move at all, staring into the darkness of the back garden.

“Sirius?” Narcissa asked, hating the hesitance in her voice. She could barely remember the last time she’d seen him, and when he turned around he looked completely different than he did in her memories.

His face was haggard, with dark circles under his eyes and stress evident in the lines of his face. The mischievous twinkle in his eyes had faded, leaving resignation and exhaustion in its place. A lit cigarette was perched delicately in his right hand and he took a drag as he took in her experience with measured disinterest. He didn’t seem like he was going to say anything, so she spoke again.

“What are you doing here?” She demanded, pushing the hesitance and softness out of her voice.

Sirius kept watching her silently, and she knew that he was trying to make her nervous. She met his gaze defiantly and he finally answered her. “I heard the news,” he said simply, his voice sounding strained. “I came to congratulate you.”

Narcissa crossed her arms, scepticism evident in her expression. She watched as he took another drag of his cigarette, her eyes momentarily getting stuck on his lips. “I don’t believe you,” she replied, searching his face for signs of their past, signs he still cared. “Why are you actually here?”

He laughed, but it was cold and disconnected, a laugh not born of amusement. “It’s the truth,” he answered, turning to fully face her. “I heard that you were _betrothed_ to the most pompous arsehole you could find and I had to see it to believe it.” He tried to say it flippantly, as though none of it bothered him, but his tone of voice betrayed him.

Narcissa knew better than to engage in this kind of conversation, but Sirius always seemed to know just what to say, which buttons to push to make her respond. “Lucius is a great man,” she replied, keeping her voice cold and trying to appear disinterested in the conversation.

“Bullshit,” Sirius cut in before she could say anything more. “We both know that he’s not good enough for you, Cissa. You deserve someone who knows how lucky they are to be with you.” She didn’t miss the half-step he took towards her, or the way he licked his lips involuntarily.

“You don’t get to say anything to me,” Narcissa snapped, unable to hide the anger in her voice. “You lost your change to have any say in this the moment you walked away from our family.” She paused for a moment, and before she could stop herself, she continued. “Away from me.” The moment the words left her mouth she wished she could take them back. They were too vulnerable, too honest, and they gave away too much power.

To her surprise, Sirius’ voice was soft. “You could have come with me,” he said. Narcissa had to look away from him. She couldn’t stand the pleading look on his face, the sad desperation he made no effort to hide.

She shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. It was a discussion they’d had years ago, when they were both bright-eyed teenagers, before the lines had been drawn. Narcissa was about to remind him of this, that they’d made their decisions years ago, when Sirius continued.

“You still can.”

He took another step towards her and she could feel the heat coming off of his body. His fingertips trailed delicately up her bare arms and she could feel her cheeks getting hot as he stared at her face insistently. She kept her eyes fixed on the collar of his shirt, she didn’t want to risk a glance at him – this was not the time or place to be having a conversation like this. She thought that they’d said everything that could be said, that they’d put this discussion to bed a long time ago.

“Cissa,” he whispered and she could feel the ghost of his breath on her skin. She shivered, but not because of the cold.

Before she could figure out what to say, his fingers were underneath her chin, tipping her head back so she had no choice but to look at him. There was a tense moment where neither of them spoke, electricity and desire swirling in the air around them.

Narcissa wasn’t sure who instigated it – whether she’d been the one to lean into him or if Sirius had bent down towards her – but suddenly their lips were pressed against one another’s. She could taste the mix of champagne and tobacco on his tongue, could feel his lithe body pressed against her own.

She let herself get swept up in him – it felt like it was meant to be, like her world had somehow been righted – before she remembered exactly where she was and the event she was meant to be attending. She pulled away as though she’d been burned, pushing Sirius away from her and taking a step back to put extra distance between them. “I can’t,” she said, touching her lips gently where his had been a moment before.

Sirius looked at her, his eyes full of pain. He looked like a dog that had been kicked, all of the hope and joy crushed out of him. She didn’t let him speak, afraid that he would find a way to convince her to leave her life behind.

“I’m marrying Lucius,” she told him with an air of finality. His eyes bore into hers, but she didn’t let herself react. She forced all of the authority and all of the strength she had into her voice. “Goodbye, Sirius.” She turned and walked back towards the house without looking over her shoulder, though part of her wanted to. She let the door slam shut behind her, sure that the decision she was making was for the best.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!! please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!!


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